Has Iran's Opposition Lost Steam?

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses tens of thousands of Iranians gathered in Azadi (Freedom) Square in southwestern Tehran to mark the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution
(Getty Images/Getty)

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The government won this battle, and the only reason that they won this battle is that they have actually mastered some of the techniques. They've learned how to really turn off the Internet quite effectively, they have their troops out in very strategic locations, they jumped on every small demonstration the moment it began to appear.

Pro-government marchers flooded Iran's streets yesterday, on the anniversary of Iran's revolution. In fact, pro-government rallies far overshadowed opposition protests. And government supporters in Iran are dominating the online world as well. Social media channels like twitter and youtube had little more than a peep from opposition members. Has Iran's revolutionary spirit seen its end?

Siavash Ardalan is the host for BBC Persian TV's "Your Turn." Gary Sick is an Iran expert at Columbia University.